Primary schooling in general is critical for national and individual development, as illustrated by the international push for universal, compulsory primary education (Peil, 1995). While Ghana does not currently have 100% gross enrollment rates, there is still a high demand for primary school teachers, and as the rate of enrollment grows, there will be a continued need for more teachers (Akyeampong, Furlong & Lewin, 2002 & Quansah, 2003), and it is critical that more teachers remain in the profession. With a need for more investigation of the factors that enhance their persistence, this dissertation examines the factors that contribute to primary school teacher retention and seeks to find out the reasons some primary school teachers remain in the primary school teaching ranks.

Qualitative methods were employed to examine the factors that have contributed to the retention of teachers at four primary schools in Accra, Ghana (two public schools and two private schools). Experienced primary school teachers, with an average of 24 years of experience, were interviewed and observed with the goal of understanding why they have stayed in the ranks of primary school teaching when many others have not. Using critical ethnographic analysis, it was found that initial interest in teaching had a small impact on teacher retention while the study leave program did not ensure an exit from teaching. However, student ability, motivation and behavior, teacher autonomy, and the conditions of service impact teacher retention. Some of the teachers also demonstrated a serious commitment to teaching at the primary school level even though this commitment was not affirmed by Ghanaian society. These teachers intentionally remained in the ranks of primary school teaching, and it is recommended that the Ghana Education Service strive to cultivate this commitment to primary school teaching through posting.